Eagle-eyed Bond fans have spotted a mystery item on the list of games Activision is bringing to Comic Con. Alongside familiar franchise titles like Prototype, X-men, and Spider-man, a “new 007 game” has appeared. Speculation reigns as to the particulars.

Bizarre Creations, the company that produced last years James Bond 007: Blood Stone, is now closed. The new film isn’t due for a while. Most compelling is the speculation that this project will have something to do with the recent spate of Goldeneye-related domain name registration. Maybe Comic Con will bring news a of a high definition reboot along the lines of the Wii version that came out in 2010.

Got a theory of your own? Have you scuba dived into Bobby Kotick’s secret underwater base, seduced his big-haired secretary, and managed to find out more? Let us know in the comments.

Right now, it’s possible to view YouTube videos on your PS3 and Wii, but you have to use the console browser, and stuff does not look great there; on PS3 it’s particularly bad, because the max res it’ll stream the videos is 240p, which just looks horrendous on a big TV.

YouTube, being like the second biggest website on Erf, really wants to be on your TV, though. Toward that end, they’ve got apps for some internet-enabled TVs and blu-ray players, but as Netflix will tell you, there are a ton more people with game consoles than there are who have those things. My totally unscientific anecdotal evidence to support this is that nobody I know has an internet-connected TV and only two have an internet-connected blu-ray player.

Anyway, it looks like YouTube is looking to get into the console game now, or at least a Google job posting seems to indicate that, considering the no. 1 responsibility listed for the job is “Build the next generation game-console-based TV experience with You Tube video content.”

That’s pretty clear, I think. Something new to look forward to in the next round of big console updates, because you’d think this would open the door for a tone of cool in-game things, like video recording. Imagine being able to easily post some replays of your Blood Stone 007 matches. That’s be awesome. (Too soon, Phil. Too soon.)

More indie platforming this week as Lost in Shadow and Ilomilo continue to lead the line. Use them to prepare for Little Big Planet 2! You’ll need those reflexes. The Frank West/Chuck Greene team-up special Case West is also highlighted.

Walkthrough Weekends is a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when work ends and fun begins. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

2011 has begun with a couple of clever indie offerings, in the form of Lost in Shadow and Ilomilo, which will test your platforming acumen and your puzzling wits, respectively. We’ve also got a full walkthrough for Case West, the big-budget DLC follow-up to Dead Rising 2. Sharpen your gaming fingers!

Walkthrough Weekends is a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when work ends and fun begins. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

We’re leading off this weekend with a guide to Infinity Blade, the Unreal-powered iPhone game that’s been turning heads recently. As for Tron, the mega-budget Disney movie comes out today! Put on your 3D glasses! Twice the Jeff Bridges, twice the fun, as I always say. You can also get your Tron fix here with our full walkthrough — learn to dominate the virtual virtual gameworld! We also have lists of collectibles, and below, you’ll also find information on other recent big releases.

Walkthrough Weekends is a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when work ends and fun begins. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

The movie is still a week away, but you can get your Tron fix here with our full walkthrough — learn to dominate the virtual virtual gameworld! Below, you’ll also find information on other recent big releases.

Walkthrough Weekends is a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when work ends and fun begins. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

Though multiplayer shooter fans will still be belaboring Call of Duty: Black Ops, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood has stormed onto the scene this week with hidden knife blades swinging, promising an epic, complicated single-player campaign and a bevy of unlockables, which will all be tabulated below. Other Fall favorites like James Bond 007: Blood Stone, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, The Force Unleashed II, Fable III, and Fallout: New Vegas are also covered, and we’ve compiled all the insider cheats, collectibles and walkthrough information you’ll want to have on hand.

Walkthrough Weekends is a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when 5 o’clock on Friday rolls around. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

The Cold War is so omnipresent this week that you can almost smell the anti-Communist paranoia in the air. This weekend is dedicated to Alex Mason and Call of Duty: Black Ops, so read up on the game before it’s time to start fragging. Other Fall favorites like James Bond 007: Blood Stone, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, The Force Unleashed II, Fable III, and Fallout: New Vegas are also covered.

Below, we’ve compiled all the insider cheats, unlockables and walkthrough information you’ll want to have on hand.

Walkthrough Weekends will be a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when 5 o’clock on Friday rolls around. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

Bizarre Creations is best known for Geometry Wars and their racing games, like Project Gotham Racing and Blur, but they have forayed into the world of action games before; you’ll be forgiven if you’ve forgotten the Treasure Planet game and this generation’s The Club, though, because “forgettable” is probably the kindest thing you could say about them.

That isn’t to say that Blood Stone 007 continues Bizarre’s trend of pushing out bad action games, because Blood Stone isn’t terrible. But you can tell from the start that something just feels off about this game. So what’s up with that? Let’s it explore this.

First off, let me say that, while the title song and credit sequence are really, really awful, the story itself and the presentation are certainly Bond-worthy. The voice acting is pretty OK, with Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench and Joss Stone doing most of the work, and the plot is about what you would expect from a Daniel Craig Bond flick. It’s got intrigue, spy s**t and running and jumping and slamming faces against the wall and shooting people dead. And it’s got a ridiculous cliffhanger.

As I said before, you know something is wrong with this game from the very beginning, and it’s mostly because the controls are screwed. The very basics are fine; left trigger to aim, right trigger to shoot, A to hide behind cover, Y to switch weapons. Unfortunately, though, most other actions, like jumping or vaulting over cover, will be frustrating. These actions are context sensitive — meaning you can’t jump unless you’re supposed to jump, for example — and the buttons are inexplicably mapped. You press B to jump or vault over cover, and if you’re hanging from a pipe or ledge, you press A to drop down and B to pull yourself up. And you can’t change that mapping. I died many times as a result of this weirdness.

But that’s a minor problem. Less minor are the intangibles. The actual act of playing the game — whether you’re on foot or in a car — is just not very satisfying. Cliffy B has a great mantra in regards to the on-foot portions that I think Bizarre missed here: “If you’re going to make a shooter, you better make sure that those 30 seconds that you do over and over again are more fun than anything else in the game.” Unfortunately, the shooting is never particularly enjoyable, and that’s because it too often feels like a grind. Even on the highest difficulty available to you on your first runthrough, the AI is bad enough that you can clear a room from one good spot in cover, because they won’t flank you. During one firefight near the end of the game, I actually just sat in one spot as enemy after enemy slowly walked toward my hiding spot, allowing me to melee kill most everyone.

Something else key is missing here, though. There is no sound effect for your bullets hitting an enemy. This seems minor, but it throws everything off enough for me to notice it very early on.

Finally, this game is Splinter Cell: Conviction with some Arkham Asylum thrown in. Hitting someone in the face nets you Focus Aim, which is a poorly disguised variation on Mark and Execute, and you also have a smart phone that puts you in what Batman calls detective mode, which tells you where to go, where the enemies are and where you can find “hidden” bits of intelligence. A phone does that! And that, by the way, is the only gadget you have here, and aside from the things I already mentioned, it can also open doors and short out security cameras. And that’s it.

Driving should be great, though, considering it’s Bizarre’s specialty, though, right? Sadly, that is not so. All the driving sequences involve Bond chasing after someone, but none of them are actually about the chase. While, yes, if you get too far behind your target you will fail, but at the same time it’s not about actually catching up to the target; instead, it’s about staying within a certain distance from your target until you reach the end of the sequence. The sequences are so heavily scripted, too, that a lot of it comes down to trial and error; I would say they reminded me most of the levels in the Crash Bandicoot games in which you have to ride an animal, because the “chaos” of these segments — things exploding, cars crashing — are the result of the developer making them happen rather than them being a dynamic result of you driving way too fast against traffic. It’s also like Crash Bandicoot in that a large part of the difficulty in a couple of the sequences comes from trying not to drive into the water. No, really.

Despite all my complaints, I really didn’t hate the game, because it’s pretty breezy and easy, but I also don’t really see much worth in it. There is competitive multiplayer, but I have a hard time imagining many folks enjoying the single-player game enough to feel all that compelled to dive into it. It’s only there because it’s “supposed to” be there, and you can’t race online or anything cool like that.

You’re better off playing something else, as I assume you already are since Black Ops is out. But if you’re itching for some Bond action, the new Goldeneye is your better option. I look forward to Blur 2, Bizarre.

Things are gearing up, and you’ll want to have things finished up before the Black Ops juggernaut drops next week. Two quality, under-the-radar titles came out this week — we’ve got useful material for James Bond 007: Blood Stone and God of War: Ghost of Sparta. Other Fall favorites like The Force Unleashed II, Fable III, and Fallout: New Vegas are also covered.

Below, we’ve compiled all the insider cheats, unlockables and walkthrough information you’ll want to have on hand.

Walkthrough Weekends will be a recurring feature, so check back every Friday to read all the most useful hints, tips, guides and lists from the previous week. That way, you’ll be prepared when 5 o’clock on Friday rolls around. Don’t spend your free time staring at loading screens!

Scattered throughout the gameworld of James Bond: Blood Stone 007 you’ll find pieces of intelligence – short documents that provide a little bit of background information on the characters and issues at hand. A lot of them are tough to spot, so we’ve complied this list to ensure that you find them all. Though Bond is usually more adept at collecting notches on his bedpost, a little traditional spying never hurt.

Look below for lists.

Istanbul

The Key to Crack the Code (8)

#

Type

Name

Location

1

M16 Analysis

Audio Surveillance Device

On the ground, by the broken elevator, a the T-junction near the control room.

2

M16 Identification

Body of Deceased Male

Inside the room on the right at the end of the first underground tunnel.

3

M16 Decryption

E-mail Correspondence

On the round well ‘s short wall. While you’re at it, shoot the elevator engine in this well for an achievement.

4

M16 Decryption

E-mail Correspondence

Right after the first catwalk jump in the ruins. Near the column to your right.

5

M16 Translation

Foreman’s Log

Right behind you, as soon as you begin the underground rail passage.

6

M16 Translation

History of Istanbul Dig Site

On a laptop in the guard chamber you drop down into after the drill machine challenge.

7

M16 Translation

Last Thoughts

In, on the body of the dead prisoner in the first cell.

8

M16 Armory Report

MP7 Silenced

Behind the crane, just after the cabin drops.

Who Are You Working For? (5)

#

Type

Name

Location

9

M16 Translation

Archaeological Notes

In a laptop, to the right of the ruins area, under a makeshift crane bridge.

10

M16 Vehicle Report

Armored Vehicle

In the armored truck, after it smashes through the wall and debouches its troops.

11

M16 Vehicle Report

Crashed Truck

In Bernin’s abandoned vehicle at the beginning of the mission.

12

M16 Vehicle Report

Helicopter

Once you’ve cleared the amphitheater of the first wave of enemies, scan the helicopter.

13

M16 Armory Report

MP5

Climb up the wooden scaffold on the right side of the ruins area, before the amphitheater entrance. The intel is on a raised walkway.

Monaco

Your Basic Russian Oligarch (5)

#

Type

Name

Location

1

M16 Analysis

Architect of Casino

Scan the statue in the last battle room of the casino, to the right.

2

M16 Analysis

Brass Nude

The first statue you come to at the beginning of the mission, on the second landing, before you enter the gardens.

3

M16 Analysis

Ornate Money Clip

On the counter in the security room, at the top of the elevator to Pomerov’s office.

4

M16 Armory Report

P22 Silenced

Right after you leave the first garden, follow the walkway to the end and look inside the utility room.

5

M16 Analysis

Stone Lantern

After you’ve been called into the Garden and asked about Pomerov Not showing up, go through the gate, through the porch window, and down some stairs. The Lantern is located at the bottom.

Siberia

Not All Fun and Games (4)

#

Type

Name

Location

1

M16 Decryption

Bernin

Scan the computer in the second parking lot shed.

2

M16 Armory Report

AK-74

Under the computer center stairs, in the snowy courtyard.

3

M16 Analysis

History of the Refinery

Scan the large model of the city on the second floor balcony, on the top of the spiral staircase.

4

M16 Analysis

Statue of the Industrialist

The large statue in the middle of the courtyard at the beginning of the mission.

Keep the Car Running (5)

#

Type

Name

Location

5

M16 Analysis

Coolant Container

To your right, right as you first take cover in the warehouse

6

Exhaust Pipe

Exhaust Pipe

While standing on the exterior catwalk, scan the large, red Exhaust Pipe.

7

M16 Decryption

Hybrid Anthrax Formula

Scan the computer on the desk, in the recessed area, right after leaving the computer center hub.

8

M16 Armory Report

M3T

On the corner crate in the weapons cache room, just before the large, exterior battle.

9

M16 Vehicle Report

Modified Truck

First truck in the second refrigerated warehouse.

By Any Means Necessary (3)

#

Type

Name

Location

10

M16 Armory Report

Anti-Missile Turret

Scan the anti-missile turret on the deck of the ship before attacking Pomerov’s S.A.V. with it.

11

M16 Vehicle Report

Hovercraft Information

Scan the computer on the left wall of the computer room, next to the room with the cargo door switch in it.

12

M16 Armory Report

UMP

Scan the weapon case sitting in the middle of the line of cargo in the hold.

Bangkok

An Uneasy Alliance (1)

#

Type

Name

Location

1

M16 Identification

Murdered Security Person

Dead Security Guard in the exit stairwell, on the top floor of the aquarium.

One More Step and You’re Dead (3)

#

Type

Name

Location

2

M16 Decryption

Assassin’s Orders

Just after you encounter your first enemy in this level. Drop down into the lower section and use the smartphone to find it in the back corner.

3

M16 Armory Report

G36

Scan the weapon case in the back corner of the building, right before you jump off the neon sign to the bar.

4

M16 Decryption

Police Orders

On the counter of the bar, just after the neon sign jump.

Old Friends, New Enemies (4)

#

Type

Name

Location

5

M16 Armory Report

PCP-1000

Scan the weapon case on the ground, to the right of the second gate, in the area with three taser-wielding cops.

6

M16 Decryption

Police Profile: Rak

Scan the police truck you drop down onto.

7

M16 Armory Report

12 Gauge

Weapon case, to the right of the truck in the gate switch area.

8

M16 Decryption

Ship’s Log

Piece of paper on the floor of the small storeroom on the right side of the first area.

Burma

You’re in Burma, Mr. Bond (5)

#

Type

Name

Location

1

M16 Decryption

Bond

Go back to the first floor after finding your smartphone and scan the laptop the guard was using.

2

M16 Armory Report

Grenade Launcher

Scan the weapons case in the shelter at the top of the stairs, where you battle the APC.

3

M16 Vehicle Report

Imported SUV

Scan the vehicle in camp, near the exit.

4

M16 Decryption

Nicole

Scan the laptop in the first camp, where four guards were located.

5

M16 Armory Report

Combat A.R.

Scan the weapons case on the ground in the first camp, under the shelter in the back left corner.

The Beautiful and the Damned (9)

#

Type

Name

Location

6

M16 Translation

Construction Notes

Scan the laptop at the left end of the first dam hallway.

7

M16 Identification

Dam Contract Worker

Scan the dead body in the hallway, just before you get to the end of the red-lit hallway at the end of the level.

8

M16 Armory Report

DSR-1

Scan the weapons crate behind the flatbed tractor-trailer, before you take out the first plane.

9

M16 Armory Report

M1

Scan the weapon case at the top left end of the upper balcony, near the terminus of the funicular lift.

10

M16 Armory Report

M24

Scan the weapon case in the back corner of the dam switch buidling, near your sniping position.

11

M16 Analysis

Pressure Controls

Scan the first pressure control console on the top floor, while you’re trying to bring Rak’s plane down.

12

M16 Vehicle Report

Rak’s Helicopter

Scan Rak’s helo right before you ride the elevator up to the top level. You only have one opportunity to do this, so be on your game.

Casino Royale was a cinematic revelation — the best Bond movie in years. The gaming branch of the wildly lucrative franchise, however, has been moldering untended. Sensing an opportunity, the IP-holders brought Bizarre Creations on board to try to breathe some air into Bond-gaming, and the developers have done fine work with James Bond: Blood Stone 007, a slick-looking 3rd-person adventure that effortlessly captures the look of the recent Daniel Craig films.

Craig’s own stunt-double did motion capture for the game, and a host of other luminaries (including Craig himself, Judi Dench, and Joss Stone) were involved in its creation. The gameplay will include almost all of Bond’s favorite activities; driving, hand-to-hand fighting, and gunplay are all well-represented. Bedding sultry dames, sadly, will have to stay confined to the cutscenes.

Below, you’ll find our comprehensive step-by-step walkthrough. We’ll guide you through the title with the gentle, mothering demeanor of Moneypenny. If you’re looking for hard intel, check out our cheats page, or our lists of trophies and achievements.

Hold down the Right Mouse Button to aim, then shoot the guard in the head.

Head to the front of the boat and enter the cabin. A door will slide open; go through it. Checkpoint.

Shoot the crook that appears at the end of this hall while he’s caught off-guard. A bullet to the head is an instant kill; otherwise, it will take about three shots.

Walk through the hallway into the room with the now dead crook and exit onto the other side of the boat. Walk to the rear of the boat to find a ladder leading to the lower deck. Press E to use the ladder and get ready for a quick fight.

Wait for the two talking guards to leave, then hit F for a stealth takedown on the guard just around the corner from you.

Sneak around the corner toward the two men that left. They are in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows. Shatter the glass with a bullet, then take out the guards with a couple quick shots.

Head into the room and walk down the hall toward the shouting voice.

Take out the two guards. Use your focus, if needed, by holding Left Control. If you are injured, wait behind cover to recover before proceeding.

Walk down the corridor and take cover in a doorway. A helicopter will shoot up the cabin ahead with a machine gun. Stay behind cover to avoid getting hit.

You’re on a boat. Hold W to chase Greco. Other small boats will shoot at you; once you get close behind them, you’ll be able to shoot the gunner and driver.

The helicopter will try to cut you off; when prompted, shoot at a nearby oil tanker to cause an explosion that will blast the helicopter out of the sky.

Take cover behind the jet skis as you take out two guards. Rush to the pillars for cover and take out the other two guards.

Move forward and head out of the room. Checkpoint.

Advance to the doors and kick them open with E.

Pass through the bar and cross the bridge across the pool.

As you near the stairs to the right, be prepared for battle. Sprint toward the man that emerges and hit F for a stealth takedown, then duck back for cover — a man will shoot at you from the doorway.

Kill the man, then head up the stairs and into the building. Checkpoint.

Enter the large room and take out the two guards.

Kick open the doors on the left.

Head into the antechamber. Checkpoint. Kick open the second set of doors.

Take cover and kill the goons in the parking lot. As you move into the lot, take cover behind cars because more goons will emerge. Be careful, though — cars can explode. Try to use this to your advantage in the fight.

Climb the steps into the room.

You’re now driving. Hold W to chase after the car. Stick on the right hand lane as much as possible to avoid head-on collisions, but don’t hug the shoulder because there’s an area where you may go flying off a cliff.

Head down into the site, then press 1 to activate your smart phone. Walk to the evidence revealed by the smart phone. Enter the cabin, approach the computer, activate your smart phone, and scan the evidence.

Repeat the above step with the second cabin. A worker will arrive to take you to meet the foreman. Follow him. Checkpoint.

Enter the foreman’s cabin and scan the computer for evidence. It’s a trap. Jump out as soon as you can — don’t hesitate.

Press F for a quick stealth takedown on the first crook, then headshot the other with your silenced pistol.

Pull out smartphone, then back up and walk around the rear of the truck. Locate the gun case. Scan, then grab, the silenced MP7 submachine gun.

Head back toward the edge of the roof, then pass through the the open doorway on your right. Checkpoint.

Take cover against the wall opposite the doorway. Move to the corner, wait for the guard to approach, then perform a stealth takedown.

The following section can be approached in a variety of ways. Head up the slope and follow the outer wall of the building until you reach a room that is open to construction, killing the multitude of goons along the way. Tips: activate your smart phone to reveal the location of enemies and explosives, use cover, wait for enemies to approach around corners for stealth takedowns, shoot the explosives when you can to help take down an opponent, and use your focus chains when multiple enemies appear.

Your smart phone will direct you to a crane carrying a metal scaffold. Jump onto the first scaffold, then onto the second. Look behind you, aim upward, and use your phone to reveal where to shoot. Shoot the crane wire to drop safely to the ground.

Pull out your smart phone and turn around. Scan the evidence.

Head down the tunnel toward the catacombs. Checkpoint.

Continue down the tunnel and take out the two guards.

Turn into the room on the right and scan the evidence.

Walk into the room on the left side of the tunnel. Checkpoint.

Head to the end of the room, take cover behind the doorway, and wait for the guard to pass by for a stealth takedown.

Enter the train room and kill the guards. Exit the room through the doorway on the right. Checkpoint.

Peer around the corner and snipe the guard taking cover behind the tractor.

Sneak down the corridor and use your smartphone to locate the two crooks in the distance. Take them out.

Head toward the dead guards, then shoot the explosives ahead to kill the guards that come for you.

Walk into the passage the guards came from and scan near the elevator.

Pass through the doorway opposite the elevator and switch the train points with E. This will get the enemies’ attention.

Outside, two goons are being lowered by machinery. Use your smart phone to locate where to shoot to make them fall to their deaths.

Take out the other guards in the room as you retrace your steps toward the train.

Kill the goons in the train room, then move to the train’s cabin and press E to enter.

Head to the right up the ramp, then down the passage. Checkpoint.

Hop down, then head toward the red and white warning fence. Turn left, then left again after a couple steps, and walk forward to a ladder.

Climb the ladder. The colossal digging instrument will activate. Hurry up the next ladder, then leap across the chasm. Grab onto the horizontal pole and climb across the gap.

Run and jump again to latch onto another pole, and continue to move left. Drop down once you reach the end of the pole and run for your life, making two more jumps before you’re safe.

Drop down into the room. Checkpoint.

Snipe the man in the next room before he notices you, then drop down.

Head to the crate in the opposite corner of the room and scan the computer.

Take the passage out of the room and follow it to the circular doorway — be ready to take on a group of goons.

Head to the right and be ready for more guards as you round the next few corners.

Walk through the circular doorway, then climb up. Advance to the Checkpoint.

Round the corner, head into the jail cell, and activate your smart phone.

Exit the cell and take cover near the corner — there are enemies around the bend.

Once you’ve killed the goons, head to the jail doors and kick them open. Walk over to the man in chains.

Inside the cell, climb onto the bunk bed and grab the next ledge. Shimmy over to the walkway.

Move to the edge of the walkway and face the open window to your right. Jump onto the window ledge and drop down into the next room.

Move straight ahead to the open doorway. Checkpoint.

Walk through the circular doorway and head forward. Turn left at the corner and head straight through the other circular doorway.

Round the corner and climb. Advance to the Checkpoint.

Continue forward. Hold out your phone to locate the nearby explosives and blow up the crooks ahead.

Advance to the corner and wait for a guard to advance so that you can use a stealth takedown. There is a group of enemies in this room.

Once the goons are dead, hop down into the lower area and walk away from the entrance until you find a ladder on your left.

Climb the ladder, turn left, and climb the second ladder. Fight the guards that appear.

Turn right twice and jump onto the next catwalk.

Use your smart phone and walk toward the nearby objective prompt. Jump across the newly created gap.

Head straight to the ladder, then climb down.

Walk directly away from the ladder, turn left, and head straight. Take cover as you near the next bend — a group of goons is about to attack.

Once the goons are dead, head up the staircase through the doorway, turn right and enter a room. Exit the room through the doorway on the left.

Head straight to the end of the chamber with pillars and exit through the doorway.

This section is a chase scene. Stay as close behind the other vehicle as you can. Keep an eye on your minimap for upcoming sharp turns and be ready to use your handbrake for quick 180s or hard corners.

Be especially careful when you reach the docks; if you fall in the water, you die.

Remain behind cover near the corner of the car and let the first goon walk near you for a stealth takedown. Then, shoot the second goon.

Pick up the MP5s that dropped.

Crouch behind cover as more goons arrive and kill them. One will drop a 12-gauge shotgun.

Two guards are posted on the high ground to your left. They carry AK74s.

Follow the path as it curves to the right and slopes down.

Take cover behind the fallen stonework and take out the guard.

Continue up the slope. It curves left into a U-turn, past a Checkpoint. Shoot the goon that comes at you.

Head down the slope into an area filled with goons. Use the layout to your advantage, take cover, and resupply on your choice of ammo or weapons after the battle.

Head through the doorway to the right. Checkpoint.

Take cover behind the corner and peer around to snipe the group of enemies in the next area.

Head into the open area and climb up the ladder on the left.

To your right will be a crane. Approach it and press E to let a beam fall across this open expanse, creating a bridge.

Cross the bridge, then head left.

Turn left down a flight of stairs and leap down onto the ground. Checkpoint.

Round the corner to the right and head forward, but don’t rush into the open area beyond — it’s filled with goons. Dispatch them one by one.

Head to the enormous archway on the right. Once again, a group of goons is waiting on the other side, this time near a truck. One wields a grenade launcher, so be ready to run back to cover if you’re hit.

Approach the truck and scan it.

Exit through the open area to the truck’s right.

Turn right, then left. Checkpoint.

Stick to the broken doorway and wait for the goon to approach for a stealth takedown, then turn left and shoot the other goon.

Rush forward to take cover against the far wall of the next area, because three enemies await on the other side of that wall.

Kill the next guards quickly — if you take too long, Bernin will make the handover, and you’ll fail the mission.

Cross the heavily guarded area and walk through the wrought-iron gates.

Drop down two levels and turn right. Try shooting down any goons you can as they flee down the passage.

Chase the goons toward the open, Colosseum-like area over which a helicopter hovers. The area is filled with heavily-armed guards, so approach the battle with caution.

Head up the ramp and shoot more goons on the high ground.

Move forward and climb the ladder.

Keep heading straight, then turn left. Jump over the gap and shoot the guards in the corridor. Watch out — there’s no cover. Keep heading down the corridor.

From your high-ground position, snipe the three guards, then walk down the steps toward their position.

When you approach a stone statue flanked by eight candles, scan it with your smart phone.

Move through the doorway beyond and head up the steps.

Pass through the doorway towards the wrought-iron gate. Checkpoint.

Open the gate. There are guards beyond. Snipe them from cover. Two are on the high ground ahead, two are on the low ground to your left and right. If they call for backup, a guard will come out from a door down the path to your left.

Head down the path, open the door, and scan the case on top of the boxes.

Exit the room and walk through the stone archway into the area with the statues and fountain. Head right, and be prepared for a security camera.

Rush to the pillars, then move from pillar to pillar until you’re close enough to the camera to scan and disable it.

Walk through the archway and to the wrought-iron gate. Open the gate. Checkpoint.

Head left up the steps, then left again. Checkpoint.

Turn left to face toward the giant statue of a rearing horse. Behind it, a guard has his back to you at an open window. Shoot him.

Climb up into the window. Checkpoint.

Take the door to your right. This next area has five guards. Use the cover of the pillars to take them down stealthily.

Walk to the largest pair of doors in the room and open them. Continue through them until you reach the Checkpoint.

Head through the next pair of doors, but be wary of the patrolling guard on the other side.

With the guard taken out, head left toward the elevator. Use the computer.

Continue walking along the balcony until you are standing over the Floor Manager. He walks around quite a bit, so you have to scan him quickly before he moves out of position.

Walk around the balcony until you find the hallway with burgundy walls. A pair of doors sit at the end of this hallway. Open them.

A group of guards surround the Security Chief. Kill the guards and the Security Chief. Scan his dead body.

Exit the way you came, back onto the balcony. Take the hallway immediately to your left and emerge onto another balcony from where you can scan the Casino Host.

Return to the elevator, use the computer to open the doors, then enter the elevator. Checkpoint.

Once the elevator doors open, a slow-motion sequence will initiate. Don’t hesitate — shoot the three guards before they open fire.

Scan the small clip on the desk, then exit through the double doors. Checkpoint.

Use the computer on the left, then exit into the living room on the right.

Vault over the balcony railing and head left. Jump onto the glass roof, then grab onto the ledge above.

Shimmy all the way over to the next glass roof and drop down on it.

Jump across onto the solid roof and climb up the balcony railing. Checkpoint.

Exit through the right and scan the safe.

Take cover and shoot the three guards that come for you.

Exit through the open door and take cover by the doorway to the right. Take down the guard that comes at you and shoot the others.

Head through the room and into the elevator.

Exit the elevator. Checkpoint. Follow the hallway to a pair of doors.

Kick open the doors and immediately take cover. There’s a huge number of guards in the next room.

Take out as many guards as you can from the doorway, then sneak through the room, from cover to cover, cleaning up the rest. Exit through either hallway and head for the double doors. Checkpoint.

Open the doors and dive to cover. There’s an even greater number of guards here, and a second wave will arrive during the battle.

After taking out the guards, run to the other side of the room and open the doors.

Take cover behind the balcony wall and shoot down at the guards. Prioritize the ones running for the steps — if they approach you, you won’t have cover.

Once you descend the steps, a second wave of guards will emerge. Take cover, and once again, prioritize the targets that are trying to circumvent your cover.

On the right side of this room is a stone bust of a man; scan it, then exit through either passage.

Exit the house and head left into the parking lot. Scan Pomerov’s car; it’s the black one surrounded by white cars. This will activate its alarm.

Head in the direction the car is facing and walk through the entrance on the right.

Scan the huge statue of the three men in robes, then head left up the steps.

Enter the building.

Take the exit on the far left and scan the server room console ahead on the left. Checkpoint.

Before going through the door you just opened, head up the spiral staircase on the right and scan the scale model ahead of you.

Head back down the spiral staircase and through the door you opened.

Rush down the steps and sneak up behind the guard for a stealth takedown.

Don’t shoot the guards around the corner — if the security camera spots dead bodies, you’ll fail the mission. Wait for the guards to finish talking. One will walk toward you. Perform a takedown.

Advance toward the camera and disable it.

Move to the end of the room and turn right. Take out the guard in the room beyond, then use the laptop on the desk. Checkpoint.

Retrace your steps all the way back up the spiral staircase onto the bank’s second floor.

Head down the hallway to your right and to the bar. Scan the drink Pomerov left on the bar. Checkpoint.

Return down the spiral staircase and pull a U-turn to your left. Open the doors, head in, and scan the area.

Exit the room and head straight to the Computer Center directly across.

Scan the terminal and enter. Take out the four guards beyond.

Move under the large staircase and scan the AK-74.

Walk up the large staircase and pass through the doors.

Follow the balcony until it leads down to the first floor.

Make a U-turn to your right and pass through the open doorway.

Use the computer terminal.

Take cover and fight off the waves of soldiers that come for you. Shift your cover depending on which doorway they appear at. Checkpoint.

Use the computer again. Checkpoint.

Climb the ladder to your right, then shimmy over to the right and climb the second ladder.

Shimmy to the right again, then drop down. Jump to your right, and continue to jump and vault until you reach a doorway. Once you’ve stepped through the doorway, you’re safe. Head down the steps. Checkpoint.

Take cover and shoot the soldiers beyond the door.

Advance into the room, but take cover before rounding the corner. More guards await, some of whom throw grenades. Get behind cover before a grenade explodes.

Continue stealthily into the room, as more soldiers await around every corner.

After making a left, then a right, take cover against the right-hand wall — guards will be around the corner.

Once dealt with, head into the open area and turn left toward the metal doors. Open the doors and be ready to take on three soldiers immediately on the other side.

Head through the doors onto the catwalk. Checkpoint.

Walk forward, take cover, and move left. Shoot the three soldiers.

Head down the stairs and into the facility.

Open the next two sets of doors and walk into the control room.

Use the laptop, then exit through the left.

Turn left twice, then scan the computers to your left.

Head through the doorway and through the sliding metal door ahead.

Rush to the wall on the right and takedown the soldier as he walks through the door ahead.

Exit and walk up the steps. You’ll pass a Checkpoint along the way.

Take cover and shoot down the two conversing soldiers.

Scan the huge exhaust pipe with the flammable warning signs.

Walk along the catwalk and take out another soldier.

Once you reach the steps leading down, take cover and snipe the three soldiers below.

Descend the steps until you reach the Heat Exhaust Override Valve. Turn the wheel.

Vault over the railing and take cover as soldiers emerge.

Take cover by the path to the right and shoot a couple more soldiers.

Move forward and rush down the path to your right before taking cover. More soldiers will emerge, and from this position, you can sneak around behind them.

Take the path leading left out of this area into a room with a sliding metal door. Head through the door. Checkpoint.

As you move forward, be quick with your trigger finger as a soldier will rush you. No time to duck for cover, just take him out.

Continue forward, then turn right twice into the control room.

Head straight to exit the control room and pass through a sliding metal door.

Turn left into the small room. Checkpoint.

At the other end of the room, a metal door will slide open, revealing a room filled with guards and explosive materials.

Scan one of the coolant containers, then exit this refrigeration room through the exit on the far side.

Head into the next room. Checkpoint.

Rush to the sliding metal door and take cover. This is another room filled with enemies and explosives.

Once the enemies are dispatched, scan the truck closest to the entrance.

As you move deeper into this room, there will be more soldiers. Avoid standing near the explosives.

Exit the room through the right, then continue left twice and turn into a room with ladders and giant tankards.

Climb a ladder and walk out onto the catwalk to the coolant override valve on your left. Checkpoint.

Turn the valve and be ready to run.

Exit through the path to your 11 o’clock. Follow the catwalk and shoot the soldiers that get in your way. Be quick on the draw; there’s no time for cover.

You’ll reach a frozen window. Jump out to safety. Checkpoint.

Head right, back to the central control panel.

Take out the two soldiers that come for you, then head up the steps from where they came.

Open the doors at the top of the steps and run across the catwalk. Pass through two doorways to the Checkpoint.

Scan the weapon case just outside, then rush left up the steps.

Slide down the ladder and rush forward to cover. Soldiers will shoot at you. To survive, stay behind cover, takedown the numerous enemies that will climb over the railing near you, and use your Focus Aims.

You must survive the waves of soldiers until Nicole gets the car, at which point she’ll call you. Checkpoint.

Once you kill the next wave of soldiers, you’ll reach another Checkpoint, and Nicole will tell you that she’s nearly arrived. Hold out for a little longer.

When Nicole says she’s arrived, clear out the remaining soldiers (there will be a ton!), then race to the exit.

This is a driving level. The first segment consists of driving through an Armageddon of fiery debris raining down around you. Avoid the debris and the trucks driving along the road as best you can — this may be an instance where you can’t afford to take your eyes off the road to check the minimap, because the debris will come at you fast.

You’ll reach a Checkpoint once you land on a frozen river. Well, a partially frozen river. Avoid driving into the water.

You’ll reach a second Checkpoint once you spot a helicopter. Keep driving as the helicopter shoots at you. Oh, and the ice you’re driving on is now cracking, so you might want to hurry.

Kill the other three guards and more forward, grabbing a gun. Take cover and kill the next soldiers.

Head around the front of the boat and shoot the three soldiers on the boat’s left side.

Move forward and take cover — more soldiers will emerge.

Walk forward until you see the ladder to your right leading to the lower deck.

Descend the ladder and shoot the guard toward the front of the boat — you won’t have cover.

Run toward the door near the front of the boat and be ready to shoot a soldier that will emerge.

Enter the boat and open the cargo doors.

Duck for cover; soldiers will shoot at you.

Move left into the next room. Scan the equipment on the far side of the room.

Enter the room with the vehicles, but stay behind cover; some soldiers are operating the vehicles’ machine guns. Another wave of soldiers will arrive once you enter.

Crouch behind cover and sneak your way to the far left end of the room, careful to avoid getting hit by the machine guns.

Head up the steps and jettison the cargo.

Return to the center of the cargo room, taking out the newly arrived soldiers along the way and ducking from the remaining vehicle’s machine gun.

Scan the weapon case in the center of the room, then sprint out in the open around the vehicle that’s shooting at you, toward the door off to the right of it. You’ll take a few hits, but you should pass through the doorway before you die.

Walk to the end of the passage and jettison the cargo.

Exit the cargo room, killing the soldiers that appear.

Walk the path on the outside of the ship back to the ladder.

Climb the ladder. Checkpoint.

Head to the front of the ship toward the turret.

Hold the fire button to shoot the incoming missiles out of the air. This machine gun has about a second of spin-up time, so start shooting before you think you need to. Don’t use controlled bursts — the spin-up and spin-down time is too great.

Next, you’ll have to shoot out the engines while still taking out the occasional missile volley. There is a row of four engines on each side of the craft; blue circles define their position. Once they start smoking, they’ve been destroyed.

Scan the Anti-Missile Turret, then head across to the right side of the ship, crossing a Checkpoint along the way.

Jump onto the wing of the S.A.V., then immediately dive to cover to take out the three soldiers.

Toward the rear of the S.A.V., another soldier will appear. Once he’s dead, head toward his position and jump from ledge to ledge until you reach his open door. Checkpoint.

You need to hurry. Fight your way to the front of the ship. A Checkpoint is located at a ladder. Climb up.

In the slow-motion sequence that follows, shoot the red door release button to the right of the masked goon. Don’t bother shooting the goon.

As you start driving off, swerve left and right to shake off the Tuk Tuk attached to your truck.

When your path is blocked by the falling debris, turn right, then left, to get back on course. This will happen two more times, and after the third time, you’ll reach a Checkpoint.

Keep dodging falling debris, swerving cars, and crumbling overpasses. You’ll pass a few Checkpoints along the way, so you don’t have to start from the beginning if you fail. In general, when a road is blocked by debris, you should turn right.

Follow the path until you see men being shot. Take cover behind the pillars and kill the murderers.

Continue up the path until you see a man running for his life. Take cover ahead and eliminate the next few soldiers.

Continue along the path, killing another soldier, and enter the open shipping container. Checkpoint.

Take cover at the other end of the container and shoot the soldiers.

Head down the path, which curves to the right, killing more soldiers along the way.

At some point, an Osprey will begin hovering in the air. A gunner in the rear will shoot at you. Sneak toward the crane, using the intervals between the machine gun volleys to rush from cover to cover.

Once you climb onto the crane, activate it to reposition the cargo precariously over the Osprey. Be sure to take cover immediately after pressing the button.

Use your phone to locate where to shoot the crane’s hook to drop the cargo on the Osprey. The Osprey gunner is also targetable, but don’t waste your ammo on that.

With the Osprey down, climb up to the crane’s cabin. Checkpoint.

Operate the crane. Turn it right until you see the flaming doorway in the distance, then lower it.

Climb the ladder, then climb a second ladder to your left. Walk across the beam, then jump and climb onto the wreckage. Checkpoint.

Jump down from the wreckage and quickly take out the two guards that emerge. You won’t have cover.

Enter the room and head left down the flight of steps. Checkpoint.

Pass under the malfunctioning door and head down the path until it turns left. Take cover and shoot the guard around the corner.

Press forward until you reach the doorway. Take cover and shoot the guards inside.

Once you’ve cleaned out the room, head right through the cover and round the curve to the left, killing soldiers along the way.

Cross the bridge over the water and pass through the doorway. Checkpoint.

Continue forward and shoot the soldiers around the corner.

Shoot your way down the corridor, moving from cover to cover.

At the end of the corridor, head left up the steps and scan the body, then head to the doors on the right to initiate a slow-motion sequence in which you must shoot the two soldiers in the elevator.

This is a driving level. Without any debris raining down from the heavens, roads shattering before you, or bullets flying at your face, it is probably the easiest driving level in the game. Just stay behind Nicole full throttle, ease off the gas during turns, and apply the handbrake when you need to round a sharp corner.

When you have to damage Nicole’s car, drive along her left side and ram her car against the right railing. Keep grinding against her car until she stops.

James Bond is strapping his silenced Walther PPK back on, getting ready to jet around the world. Bizarre Creations’ snazzy-looking 3rd-person adventure James Bond: Blood Stone 007 looks to return the martini-swilling hero to the pedestal.

Key to the company’s effort is the assembly of a top-notch team of talent, including Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Joss Stone, and post-Fleming novelizer Bruce Fierstein. Gameplay will provide a debonair twist on Splinter Cells’ windpipe-shattering skulduggery, though gamers should expect driving and hand-to-hand sequences interspersed among the “marked-for-execution”-style pistol combos.

Below, we’ve got a wealth of Bond resources, including trophies, achievements, and a full walkthrough (which we’ll start updating on release day).

Bizarre Creations’ new James Bond property is setting out to do what the new spate of movies has: turn Bond into something slick and modern, instead of something old-fashioned and tuxedo’d. James Bond: Blood Stone 007 is a meticulously-crafted 3rd-person action title with occasional driving sequences and other diversions. The game also offers a robust 16-player multiplayer mode.

Bond, James Bond practically invented the console shooter with Goldeneye, so its a shame that no developer since has managed to capture the magic of Rare’s masterful outing. Considering the quality of Blood Stone’s voice acting (Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are on board) and the generally high production values, the game might finally be the one to usher Britain’s most dashing secret agent back into the limelight.

Check below for our list of trophies.

Bronze Trophies

Fireworks at the Party – Complete the Athens chapter on Recruit, Field Operative or Agent difficulty